Monday, May 21, 2007

Here's a quirky story: plants were flying out of a New Kent greenhouse because of a "going out of business sale" advertising everything "was priced at half-off." Problem was, the business was actually closed for the weekend and the sale was being conducted by thieves. The owners typically left plants outside and unsecured, which cost them about $5,000 in lost merchandise.

Speaking of Washington & Lee, John Grisham delivered this year's commencement address and told students ""Until you use your license and your brains and your enthusiasm and your youthfulness to reach out, to reach down and to help someone less fortunate, you won't realize the power the law has to protect people." Well said.

The juvenile justice system seeks to rehabilitate young offenders so they do not become lifelong criminals. According to this editorial, "Half of the roughly 1,000 young people released each year from Virginia's juvenile centers are re-arrested within 12 months. The rate rises to three-fourths if you go out 36 months, and those figures don't capture those who commit crimes but elude arrest." That doesn't seem like success. Many factors contribute to recidivism, the system is probably not to blame, but if we want to incarcerate juveniles for rehabilitation, we need to rethink how things are currently done and how we can improve upon those numbers.

Here's an interesting lawsuit: a Richmond area grocer sued Supervalu, Inc., "the nation's biggest wholesale distributor," for sabotaging "his efforts to buy "a Virginia Beach-based 18-outlet food store chain that had just emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization." What's more interesting is that the grocer, originally represented by Buddy Allen, is now represented by Verbena Askew, former Hampton City Attorney, then Circuit Court judge who was not reappointed by the General Assembly.